The compleat housewife

Eliza Smith's The Compleat Housewife, first published in London in 1727, enjoyed enormous popularity, running through 18 editions in 50 years. It also had the distinction of being the first cook book published in the American colonies when it appeared in 1742 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Smith worked as a cook or housekeeper in wealthy households, and unlike her slightly later contemporary Elizabeth Raffald, who left service to open her own shop, Smith remained in service despite the success of her book. Unlike other contemporary cook books, Smith does not include any advice or instructions, only recipes, and her recipes do not begin with lists of ingredients, but only contain instructions. Special Collections' copy represents the 10th edition, "with very large Additions ; not in any of the former Impressions."